“Jinx, you owe me a Coke,” Teddy says. “Thanks for the Advil and the nightmares.”
He walks away.
“Teddy?” I call.
“Yeah.”
“I love you.”
“I know,” he says. “Who doesn’t?”
Leo is seated by the fountain on the patio of Copley’s.
It is a quintessentially Palm Springs restaurant—the former guesthouse of Cary Grant—with a gorgeous outdoor patio hidden from the street that serves wonderful food and has incredible service.
It is also known for its eclectic mix of clientele and celebrations: young and old, locals and visitors, birthdays and anniversaries.
First dates.
“It’s great to see you, Sid.”
Leo stands as the hostess shows me to our table between the fountain and fire pit.
“You, too!”
I say this excitedly—almost as if I’m a game show host—and the couple at the table next to us starts at my volume.
Leo pulls out my chair for me, and I stand there awkwardly.
Will he hug me? Kiss me? Go for a simple handshake?
Leo gestures at my seat, ever the gentleman.
Nothing. Not even a touch.
The patio is dim, and my next thought is wondering whether he chose this table so no one would see us.
I hear Teddy’s voice:“Get out of your head, Sid.”
I fidget with my napkin. I fold it in my lap and then refold it.
“Origami!” I say, again with too much fervor. I lift my napkin. “Is it a swan? A lotus?”
Leo’s smile now seems forced.
He hates me. I continue, my mouth a runaway train, my brain like Sophia’s after her stroke.
“Oh, wait, I used to do this great dinner party trick for friends! I have to show you! I learned it from an old friend in Palm Springs.”
I grab my napkin and fold it in half and then half again before pinching it into a long tube. As I tighten it, the napkin comes to life, rising into a...
“Is that supposed to be a penis?” Leo asks.
I place it my lap.
“Voila!”
Leo nods like a preschool teacher might at a child who just yelled,I made water!
